2026 is looking to be a great year in country music already! We’re excited to continue introducing you to artists you may or may not be familiar. Today, we’re shining our spotlight on singer-songwriter, KC Bruner.

Hailing from a small-town in Iowa called, Swisher, Bruner grew up loving music; despite, not thinking about it as a future career for her (at first). “I grew up with my mom working in a small hair salon and my dad always had a side job, and he would do gigs on the weekends for private shows and events,” she shared, adding, “On his side of the family there was a lot of music and a lot of older country songs that I fell in love with. Then I also would sing at my youth group at church on Wednesdays and Sundays, so that was the main part of how I got introduced to music.”

Catching the music bug early, Bruner recalls spending many hours in her room writing and learning to play guitar. “I would just write on my own, and I didn’t do any shows, unless my dad had a gig, and he would let me come do one song with him.” She drew inspiration from her own experiences and stories that friends and family shared, all while becoming a big fan of the country music genre too.

“Alan Jackson for sure [is one of my favorites]. I love like everybody in a way. I never got hyper-fixated on one artist, it was always I like that song. I love Dolly Parton, George strait, Taylor Swift’s older country music. I did like Carrie Underwood, Loretta Lynn. It just ranges, a bunch of sad songs with a bunch of meaning or stories I loved.”

The Turning Point:

After graduating high-school early, Bruner followed in her mother’s footsteps and went to hair school and then moved back home to work at her mother’s salon – all while still writing music for fun. “I got more and more into writing, and thought maybe if I went to Nashville, I could become a songwriter or something, but I was pretty focused on my other career, and then it all kind of just happened out of nowhere,” she shared.

On what seemed like a whim, Bruner’s sister asked her if she wanted to move to Nashville. “I moved here with my sister, her boyfriend, and his two brothers, and originally, the three brothers all wanted to do music. […] I just thought I could make more money in Nashville doing hair. I lived in a house with them for a while, and I just did hair, and I would write at home for fun with them or on my own, and then I got my own apartment,” she shared.

Despite being surrounded by the best in music, Bruner was still focused on her blossoming career; however, when she got really sick out of nowhere, her life changed on a dime. “It definitely put me in a position where I was like, “what do I want to do the rest of my life.” […] it was really hard on me, and it made me super grateful for how you wake up everyday and be able to sing or talk to your friends, and that’s when I started posting, and then it didn’t take long until I got reached out to. And I started cutting days at the salon, and now I’m pretty music-focused.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Bruner is focused on making a name for herself in country music, releasing music that speaks to her talent as a singer and as a songwriter. In the last quarter of 2025, the songstress released a haunting song called, “Country Magic Spell,” that fans on social media fell in love with almost instantly.

“Someone told me I should write a Christmas song, and [instead], I ended up writing “Country Magic Spell” which is a spooky song and more of a Halloween song,” she shared, laughing, as she shared the unique story. “To me the song is about how when I moved here, nobody I knew listened to country music, especially the classic country that I loved the most, and they started sending me songs, and I was like, “I’ve been telling you that.” I thought I could change the way they thought of country music, and then I did meet a guy who didn’t love country music, and I knew I could change that too. It kind of all fell into my head, that I’m just going to put a spell on you and make you like country music, like if you’ll fall in love with me, you’ll like it also.”

“Country Magic Spell” is a perfect introduction into the fun-loving side of the singer; however, this year fans are going to get a more in depth look into who Bruner is and what she’s been through. Her soon-to-be-released song, “Bible and the Bottle” is available to be presaved here. The song is about loving an addict, and it’s a vulnerable song that is sure to keep people talking about her talent and honest. Make sure to keep Bruner on your radar!

Connect:

To keep up with KC Bruner, follow her on Instagram, and TikTok.

KC Bruner’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.